The optical sensor, which can detect biological characteristics or gas characteristics, has obtained an extensive attention recently. Various optical sensors have been proposed.
For example, a planar waveguide optical sensor employing simple light coupling was proposed in the article of Torsten Mayr, et al, “A planar waveguide optical sensor employing simple light coupling”, Analyst, 2009, 134, 1544-1547, which is hereby incorporated herein by reference.
For example, fast response oxygen micro-optodes based on novel noluble ormosil glasses have been proposed in the article of Klimant, et al, “Fast Response Oxygen Micro-Optodes Based on Novel Soluble Ormosil Glasses”, Microchim. Acta, 131, 1999, 35, which is hereby incorporated herein by reference.
These optical sensors are of relatively large size and are generally not suitable for on-site applications.
A micro Total Analysis System (μTAS) is a portable apparatus for chemistry analysis, which is also called as Lab-on-a-chip (LOC). The μTAS is suitable for on-site application and makes the analysis much easier.
The micro-fluidics is a fluidics in a small scale. The micro-fluidic can be examined to obtain the biological or chemistry characteristics thereof. These biological or chemistry characteristics can be used to determine the substance or object under examination.
The monolithic integration means an integrated circuit which implements a desired circuit function independently. For example, in a monolithic integration of optical sensor, the light source and the optical detector shall be integrated in a single chip.
Therefore, there is a demand in the art that a new optical sensor shall be proposed to address at least one of the problems in the prior art.